Remote First Nation communities in B.C. will soon be eligible for financial support to transition from diesel to clean energy.

Part of CleanBC’s Remote Community Energy Strategy, the Renewable Energy for Remote Communities (RERC) program has earmarked up to $16.5 million for projects that will help remote communities shift to renewable energy, moving away from polluting diesel generators to cleaner energy sources.

The new RERC program targets remote communities that currently are not connected to B.C.’s electrical grid, instead relying on the 22 largest diesel generating stations in the Province. The program will complement other initiatives that assist remote communities as they undertake energy planning, increase energy efficiency and decarbonize their energy systems.

The program will be administered by two local delivery agents, Coast Funds and the Fraser Basin Council. Each delivery agent will request expressions of interest from remote communities in fall 2019, followed by a full application process that will be complete by mid-January 2020. Successful funding applicants will be announced in April 2020. 

CleanBC is a pathway to a more prosperous, balanced and sustainable future. CleanBC was developed in collaboration with the BC Green Party caucus and supports the commitment in the Confidence and Supply Agreement to implement climate action to meet B.C.’s emission targets.

Learn More:

Coast Funds: https://coastfunds.ca

Fraser Basin Council: https://www.fraserbasin.bc.ca

Renewable energy for remote communities: www.gov.bc.ca/renewable-energy-remote-communities

A backgrounder follows, listing the remote communities eligible to apply for funding.